The Raiders’ Week Two loss to the Broncos in Denver is certainly one of those losses.

The Raiders failed to score in the fourth quarter and allowed the Broncos to rattle off 13 straight points en route to a 20-19 Denver win, capped by Brandon McManus’ 36-yard field goal with six seconds remaining.

The loss drops the Raiders to 0-2 on the season, putting into serious jeopardy their playoff aspirations. Over the last nine seasons, only six of 108 teams that have started 0-2 have made the postseason — a crisp, concerning 5.6 percent.

Where did it all go wrong for the Raiders?

Is it time to press the panic button in Alameda?

Is 0-3 in the cards?

Well, here’s what we learned in the Raiders’ heartbreaking loss to the Broncos.

1. Derek Carr bounced back in a big way

If you’re looking for a silver lining in a game that got away, all you have to do is watch Derek Carr’s third-quarter touchdown pass to Seth Roberts on loop.

That was Carr at his best — aggressive, powerful, and accurate. I’ve seen some say that it was a “2016 Carr throw”, and while I understand that sentiment, I think that throw was the idea of Carr becoming the reality.

When Carr goes full gunslinger, it’s a sight to behold. That’s the guy who was worth $125 million.

The problem is that we haven’t seen much — if any — of that Carr over the last 13 months.

But after a skittish and concerning season debut, we saw a bit of that mentality in Week Two, even if only for a few moments.

It’s certainly enough to inspire. Maybe — just maybe — he and Gruden are going to be the team that restores the Raiders to glory.

There was a serious role reversal from Monday’s season opener, though: instead of Carr being timid in the pocket and reluctant to push the ball downfield, it was Gruden’s offense — which prefers 50 paper cuts to five slashes with a knife — that held back the Raiders’ attack Sunday.

Still, Carr executed, going 29-of-32 for 288 yards and one touchdown — good for an exceptional quarterback rating of 114.6.

Normally, I’d say such a performance is solid but unspectacular — dink-and-dunk, boring — but that throw puts that line of thinking to shame. Any quarterback with that throw in his arsenal is worth your full attention.

Is there still room for growth? Absolutely — tons of it. Carr only averaged 5.2 air yards per pass attempt and had the third-lowest aggression percentage in the league on Sunday. But Carr was also 6-for-6 in passes that traveled more than 10 yards and completed five passes that traveled more than 15.

This might not sound like much, but it’s undoubtedly progress from where we were last Monday.

That said, there should still be some concern about the quarterback’s quick trigger finger — his zeal to throw the ball as fast as possible was still present on Sunday and it showed up on one of the game’s pivotal plays.

A lot is made of the Jared Cook false start, but I have a bigger issue with the Raiders running a no-read slant well short of the sticks on third down. pic.twitter.com/2dMd5AJVAC

Had Carr waited a half-beat longer to throw this ball — allegedly a pressure check at the line — Martavis Bryant’s defender likely would have engaged with the receiver, opening up a massive catch-and-run opportunity that could have resulted in much more than a desperately-needed first down.

Instead, Carr threw his receiver into an open-field tackle opportunity that was converted. Credit where it’s due — it was a great tackle — but a play like this makes you wonder.

That said, when you compare Sunday’s performance to how Carr played in Week One, it almost seems unfair to criticize him.

(I’m interested to see how inside pressure affects Carr vs. outside pressure this season. Carr remained composed in the pocket despite a steady bit of outside pressure against the Broncos Sunday, but the inside pass rush of the Rams messed him up.)

Carr and Gruden are still figuring each other out — it’s clear that there isn’t a full trust yet — but Carr’s Week Two performance should go a long way to fostering that relationship at the heart of the Raiders’ success.

If nothing else, it’s enough to shut a Carr skeptic like me up for a week.

2. This Raiders defense is a mess

Fourth and goal at the one? Let’s just leave that A gap wide open. I like Paul Guenther — I think he’s a damn good coach — but this wasn’t good. pic.twitter.com/IdofJjrtMT

And at this point, I have to consider the fact that he’s playing a prank on everyone.

Following Sunday’s game against the Broncos, where the Raiders only registered five quarterback hits (they must have been seriously spread out), Gruden declared that his defense needs to “do something to get more pressure” on the quarterback.

If only this team had an elite pass rusher under contract…

Mack trade shaming aside, the Raiders’ lack of a viable pass rush is a massive issue moving forward this season — the team’s defense simply cannot operate effectively if the opposing quarterback can stand comfortably in the pocket for interminable periods of time, as Case Keenum did Sunday.

Cornerbacks Gareon Conley and Rashaan Melvin are good, but not that good. (And we know the Raiders safeties aren’t good enough to handle it.)

Against an average offensive line, the Raiders were simply incapable of pressuring Keenum unless they brought defensive back pressure (linebackers seemed equally flummoxed to the defensive linemen), and as the game — which was played in 90-degree heat at altitude — wore on, the team’s lack of worthwhile depth along the defensive line became evident with every snap.

It didn’t end well, but the Raiders should consider themselves fortunate that it took until the final drive of the game for the Broncos to take the lead — a more competent offense would have gained well over 400 yards against Oakland on Sunday. Alas, Keenum is a replacement-level quarterback with a penchant for big plays late (14-20, 176 yards in the fourth quarter) and the Broncos’ offensive performance before the fourth quarter was highlighted by dropped passes and missed opportunities.

Other teams probably won’t be so generous.

The Raiders nearly survived — the bend-but-don’t-break defense is a thing — but again, this formula will not work against true playoff contending teams. It’s hard enough to play defense with a decent pass rush pressuring the quarterback — counting to five Mississippi isn’t going to get the job done.

And as for bringing committing more men to the pass rush — do the Raiders really have anyone to give? How much stress can one team put on its secondary before it breaks?

Paul Guenther is an excellent defensive coordinator who can do more with way less, but turning these Raiders into a league average defense might be too much for even him. The talent just isn’t there right now.

3. Amari Cooper rose to the occasion

(AP Photo/Joe Mahoney)

Raiders’ wide receiver Amari Cooper had a damn day on Sunday, catching all 10 of his targets for 116 yards.

Less than a week after being receiver non grata against the Rams, Cooper was the Raiders’ best offensive weapon against the Broncos.

Much of this has to do with Gruden moving Cooper around formations — the No. 1 wide receiver was often Derek Carr’s No. 1 read on Sunday and that, paired with strong route running and soft quarters coverage, resulted in a big day for the Alabama product.
Cooper’s catch map against the Broncos. (NFL.com)

Will this kind of impact carry into Week Three? Honestly, it depends on the Dolphins’ biggest weaknesses. Gruden has proven to be ruthlessly pragmatic through two weeks — he will attack the opposing team’s weakest link again and again and again. For the Broncos, as strange as it sounds, their defensive weakness is cornerback, hence Cooper’s big day and a generally quiet performance from linebacker-exploiters Jared Cook (four catches, 49 yards) and the Raiders’ running backs (three catches, three yards).

But because Cooper was favorited in Gruden’s gameplan doesn’t mean that he doesn’t deserve massive credit for his performance though — he rose to the occasion in a big way Sunday. Hot damn was this guy running routes.

Cooper was the aggressor against the Broncos. And as someone who loves watching an immensely talented receiver show off his full array of skills, I hope that becomes the new norm for No. 89.

Incredible, Favreian throw here by Carr, but I must note that Amari Cooper (bottom receiver) was running some damn routes Sunday: pic.twitter.com/lmysG4GnnD

4. The Raiders have a Donald Penn problem

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) AP Photo

After the game, Raiders right tackle Donald Penn took responsibility for Sunday’s loss because he blew a block that led to a blocked extra point which so happened to represent the final margin of victory.

Is that a fair burden to place on the veteran offensive lineman? Probably not — the Raiders lost Sunday’s game for a multitude of reasons, including the aforementioned blocked kick. But here’s the thing: Penn’s not far away from the truth.

Two games into the Raiders’ bold experiment to move Penn to right tackle, you’d be hard pressed to say anything nice about it. After a downright bad game in Week One, Penn was twice embarrassed by Von Miller on Sunday, and then, of course, he allowed that block that proved so pivotal.

Moving Penn — a back-to-back Pro Bowler at left tackle — to right tackle was always a bizarre play that portended poor things.

Yes, the Raiders moved to a zone blocking scheme when Gruden was hired, and yes, they drafted a tackle with their first-round pick, but if Penn wasn’t good enough to play left tackle over a rookie, why would he be good enough to play right tackle in the scheme?

That question is still worthy of being asked after two weeks, and I can’t imagine the Raiders can afford too many games like Penn’s first two if they plan on beating the percentages and making the playoffs.

It’s put up or shut up time for No. 72.

The Raiders’ offensive line used to be the heaviest in the NFL, but the four veterans on the unit were asked to lose weight this summer as part of the transition to zone. Everyone but Penn, who was coming back from Lisfranc surgery, was able to drop the weight, and watching the right tackle these first two games, you can see exactly why offensive line coach Tom Cable asked the Raiders’ o-linemen to slim down: Penn looks out-of-shape and slow compared to his teammates and the man he’s supposed to be blocking.

Play like this simply cannot continue. If the Raiders get wise and decide they can’t continue with Penn, I’d suggest starting Jon Feliciano at left guard and moving Kelechi Osemele to right tackle. Is that a bold transition for the left guard? Yes sir, but forgive me if I think KO will handle the change to the other side of the line better than Penn has.

All the Chiefs had to do to give QB Patrick Mahomes a chance in overtime was not allow a touchdown. They couldn't do it. That's the fault of their defense. The NFL overtime system is fine the way it is.